"Holidays are essential for humans. Life is as difficult to swallow as bare bread without them," I wrote in my diary upon my return to Night Fall Town Torch Festival.
Lately, I've been worried about whether the plan with Wolfrang would work out. Even though my wife returned, her current appearance would probably have dozens of guns pointed at us if we brought her to Night Fall Town.
I find myself observing my wife multiple times a day, noting down more and more of Medusa's habits in my diary. I've been eagerly anticipating the change in her scales.
The transformation started along the central axis of her frontal body - the forehead, nose, neck, chest, and belly button. The shedding scales and the smooth edges of the skin transitioned perfectly, warm to the touch. Magic truly is incredible, flawlessly converting two completely different types of skin.
The entire transformation process was relatively quick. In the time it took for her to sleep, half of her body had returned to its original form. The newly grown skin felt even more delicate, though it was just a sensation. But it was true that her breasts had gotten larger.
Observing the transformation of my own wife's body felt incredibly guilty, like peeping, yet the more guilty I felt, the more I couldn't stop myself. Curiosity, fueled by an intense drive, had me staring at my wife like an endless source of energy for twenty-four hours straight, just like a camera.
I swear this is the most despicable gaze I've ever cast upon a woman in my entire life! Even compared to my previous girlfriends.
"Hmm...?"
Of all times, my wife woke up in the dead of night like this.
"Um, um, uh, good evening..."
Mysterious, this good evening felt like I had been caught doing something wrong.
"Oh, don't look."
"Ah, sorry, sorry."
My wife covered her body with a woolen blanket, with an expression akin to that of an innocent girl. I, too, turned my head away, blushing like a teenager who'd never seen the world before.
Wait, something's not right...
This isn't the first time I've seen her, so why am I feeling so shy!
Our married life is getting younger and younger!
"You... do you want to see?"
"No, I don't want to look."
"You want to see!"
"I don't want to..."
"No, you want to see!"
"Yes, I want to!"
Nervous, she had me wrapped around her finger.
I felt a snake-like feeling twisting my head back as Medusa put down the blanket that covered her body. She looked like a cherimoya, her neck's blood vessels pulsating, and I couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Hug me."
"Okay."
Her body was different from before, radiating warmth like a human's. I held her like that, silently watching the sparks flying out of the hearth and listening to the intermittent sound of wind outside the cave.
The day when her body transformation was complete happened to be the day of my appointment with Wolfrang. I didn't know why he chose that day for us, but perhaps he had something important to say. Since my wife's waking hours were so short every day, I had to pack the woolen blanket and coat in the car and let her sleep a little longer on the way to Night Fall Town.
But it happened to snow that day, and the progress on the snowy ground with the carriage was very slow. I had to get out of the car from time to time to feed the big sheep. We left home at noon, and it was already dark by the time we arrived.
The snowfall was quite heavy, and among the fluttering snowflakes, I caught sight of a hint of orange fire from Park's pipe. After parking the car, I saw the blacksmith huddled on the ground, rubbing his hands together. His already ugly face, when exposed to the wind, resembled a troll from a game.
"Ah, Mr. Raul, you've arrived."
"Oh, Mr. Park. Sorry, the road was difficult today."
"What about Mrs. Raul?"
"Oh, she's probably still sleeping?"
"Huh?"
"Um... how do I put it... you know, Medusa."
I lifted a corner of the piled-up warmth items on the cart, giving Park a glimpse that what I was carrying was my wife, not a cart full of fur. It was quite funny how my wife could still fall asleep in this situation...
Reluctantly, Medusa was woken up and half-carried by me into the Night Fall Town tavern. There was no one inside the tavern, so I followed Park directly to the second-floor lounge. The fireplace was roaring, and the walls seemed to have received some sort of insulation, making the temperature inside very comfortable. My wife fell asleep on the couch as soon as she laid down."Mr. Park, Wolfrang and them..."
"Oh, Wolfrang and them have something going on. Just wait for a moment."
"Alright."
Park poured me a cup of pepper soup. I took a sip and sat at the table, smoking and chatting with Park.
"Why did you ask me and my wife to come today?"
"Hahaha, Mr. Raul, that sentence should be phrased as, 'Why did you ask me and my wife to come here today?'"
"Ha...is that so?"
Stop correcting my sentence structure. I never studied your grammar.
"Well, today is Leningke!"
"Leshenke? What's that?"
"Oh, I forgot. Mr. Raul doesn't know yet."
Park took out an incredibly thick book from the nearby bookshelf. He sat down next to me and began enlightening me about this mysterious "Leningke."
Leningke is a term that represents a festival. If translated literally, it means "torch festival."
Torch festival...
I was surprised at that moment! Torch festival, does this mean that the comrades of the FFF group also have a base in another world? Are my wife and I going to be burned alive? Looking at the picture that Park showed me, a group of people holding torches formed a circle, with two people standing in the center. Oh my, please don't scare me like that, bro!
Wait for my wife to wake up, and discuss our escape plan. These seemingly warm and simple villagers actually want to burn us! What happened to "love doesn't burn"?
Calm down, calm down. This isn't an anime; the FFF group doesn't exist.
Realizing my childish thoughts, I refocused on Park's explanation. The torch festival is a symbol of hope for the future, and it also commemorates the friendly relationship between Night Fall Town and the monsters. It has always been a tradition in Night Fall Town. There are many activities during the festival, but I didn't really understand what Park was saying. I was guessing based on the pictures.
First, there is a dance, seemingly similar to the bonfire dance in campus love dramas.
There is also likely a fireworks display or stargazing event.
Probably some singing and such? As long as they don't burn us, we can do whatever we want... who cares, as long as they go through the motions, I don't really have the mood to experience the customs of this foreign place right now, my home is almost out of food.
I chatted with Park half-heartedly, wanting to ask about the making of the revolver, and Wolfrang came up the stairs with a thud.
"Ah, Mr. Raul!" Wolfrang greeted me as he brushed off the residual snow from his hat.
"Hey, Wolfrang."
"Where is Mrs. Raul?"
"Um, she... is sleeping."
"Well... it's about time. Let's go see. Park already told you, right?"
"He did."
My wife, with an unwilling expression on her face from being awakened by me, and a face of impatience listening to Wolfrang talk for a few moments, walked with me in her coat onto the streets of Night Fall Town.
If you were to ask me the most picturesque scenery I've seen in my life, in the past I might have answered the Central Street under the night sky in Harbin, or perhaps Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum in Nanjing drizzled with rain. But now, I can only tell you it is Night Fall Town celebrating the torch festival in the snow. True charm is not in those exquisite towers and pavilions, nor the marvelous work of nature; it is the simplest and most sincere Night Fall Town residents before my eyes.
Everyone on the street is holding a torch, moving in one direction. Wolfrang also handed me and Medusa each a torch, then joined the crowd. Originally, my wife didn't have the enthusiasm to go out shopping, but seeing so many torches, she became spirited. Hundreds and thousands of torches made this cold winter just as passionate.
This is Night Fall Town. Despite being looted by the military and suppressed by the kingdom, the people here are still joyfully celebrating this year's harvest, giving thanks for the blessings from above, and anticipating happiness in the coming year. No disaster can bring down this group of resilient optimists, and my wife and I were also infected by these lovely people.Although I am not very familiar with the history of Night Fall Town, I believe this might be the "spirit of underground business."
